An Ending That Fits
by Oliviet
Summary: The story of what happens when Phoebe loses her sisters and has to bring back Cole to help. In this tale of love, family, and loss, anything can happen and anyone can show back up. Please R&R.
1. The Beginning

**AN: I own nothing! Absolutely nothing! In 2008 I stumbled across an amazing Phoebe/Cole fic entitled **_**The Bitter End**_** written by escargoat. I recently went through and reread the story and was completely inspired. I really want to build off of the idea escargoat has created: In the series finale, Phoebe is the one to survive instead of Piper. Coop is unable to help her bring back her sisters and Leo. With Wyatt's active powers still in the possession of the Hollow and having no active powers of her own and only Victor and Henry to help with the boys, she enlists the help of Cole, finding a way to bring him back.** **If you don't have the time to read the original story, because it is a long story, know that Phoebe and Cole have just reconciled their relationship. (But I would really try to read **_**The Bitter End**_** first.) So here goes my take on this fabu idea. Enjoy!**

He woke up to the rise and fall of her chest. His hand rested on her stomach and she was snuggled up against him. He couldn't believe that only hours before they'd had sex against the fridge. He couldn't believe she'd let him back in. Her eyes slowly opened and locked with his. Neither one spoke. She eventually broke her gaze and sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. As she buried her head in her hands, he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Are we really going to do this again?" she asked, softly.

His arms wrapped around her, drawing her into his lap.

"Only if you want to, Phoebe. I don't want to force you into anything."

"Do _you_ want this?"

Cole buried his head in her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. He missed it so much. Missed _her_ so much. Of course he wanted this, but if she didn't…

"I need to know what you want first," Cole muttered into her hair.

She sank back into his grip.

"Cole, I…" Phoebe sighed, drawing in a deep breath. "When we were together, I felt like I've never felt before. I was so in love with you. I – For months after your death I couldn't sleep. I laid awake in bed fighting back tears. And just when I was able to sleep again, you popped back into my life. I just…I couldn't handle it. Eventually it seemed to Paige that I'd given up on trying to vanquish you. In reality, it was my heart telling me I couldn't take that kind of pain again. So when Paige managed to vanquish you…more sleepless, tearful nights."

Cole tightened his grip on her.

"I _want_ for us to be together again, but I don't know if I can handle it. You can't not be evil and I just…"

"Phoebe, I've never stopped loving you. I thought I could be around you again and not want to start anything, but I can't, especially after last night. I don't know how much longer I can stay here if you feel that way."

"You can't leave! We had a deal!"

"What am I getting out of this?"

"You get to be alive again!"

"There's no point in living if I'm not with you!"

By now they were facing each other. Fury flashed in their eyes. The sound of Chris crying filled the silence.

"I'll get him," Phoebe mumbled, heading toward the door.

"While you're at it, think about that precious daughter of yours. What color are her eyes?"

She ignored him and went to go help her nephew. As she was changing him, she let Cole's words get to her. The little girl had blue eyes…like Cole's. She stormed back into her room still holding Chris.

"How the hell did you know that?" she demanded.

"Language," Cole chastised, gesturing to the two-year-old.

"Answer the damn question," Phoebe commanded, covering Chris's ears.

"It gets quite boring in the astral plane. I eavesdrop."

"I've never acknowledged the fact that she has your eyes. How. Did. You. Know?"

"Go put Chris down and I'll tell you."

She did and came back with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Start explaining."

"My spirit is attached to yours. I guess it's to punish me, but wherever you go, I go. So when Billie and Kristy put you in your 'desire' realities, I was there with you, watching a little girl ask you if you still wanted her. A little girl with blue eyes very similar to mine."

He watched as tears filled her eyes.

"You're her father," Phoebe whispered.

Cole moved over to her and touched her shoulder. Phoebe collapsed into his arms as the tears came.

"Say it," Cole told her.

Phoebe shook her head.

"Say it," Cole repeated.

She just clung to him tighter.

"Say it, or I'm leaving."

"Fine. I need you, okay?"

"For Wyatt and Chris?"

"For me."

He kissed the top of her head and led her back over to the bed. They sat down next to each other, fingers intertwined.

"Promise me something?" Phoebe asked, quietly.

"What?"

"That you're done with evil; done putting me through hell."

"I'm done," he whispered. "I promise."

~*~

"Phoebe! What are you doing back?" Elise demanded, as her advice columnist walked into the office.

"I'm doing a lot better, really. And besides, you can't keep running my old columns forever…" Phoebe explained.

"But –"

"Please, Elise, I need the distraction."

"Who's watching your nephews?"

"My ex-husband. It's a long story, don't ask."

Elise just nodded in response.

"Okay well, I guess I should start sorting through my mail…"

"If you need anything, just ask," Elise told her. "I can't even imagine what you must be going through right now."

"Thank you," Phoebe whispered, entering her office.

She sat down at her desk and was instantly greeted by a picture of her sisters. She felt the bile rising into her throat and quickly flipped the picture over. Maybe it was too soon to be back at work… She just needed a distraction that didn't involve Cole…Her desk phone started ringing.

"Phoebe Halliwell."

"Just thought you should know that a demon attacked. I took care of him," Cole's voice answered her.

"Are the boys okay?"

"Yeah they're fine. Everything's fine…except for the clock…"

"Cole! We can't afford to keep fixing that thing, especially now."

"I know, I know. I'll take care of it."

"How? Money is scarce right now and without Leo around to…"

"I could get my job back," he cut her off.

"You're supposed to be watching the boys."

"They invented this great thing, it's called pre-school."

"Which costs more money…"

"I was a _lawyer_, Phoebe. The salary is quite good."

"What if a demon attacks them?"

"They won't do it in public."

"Demons don't give a damn about where they attack. They could kill _everyone _there."

"Phoebe, your salary is not going to be enough to raise them and your, our, daughter. We need the money."

"Henry's helping where he can and so is Dad."

"Phoebe, I just can't sit here at the house all day, doing nothing. I'm going to go crazy!"

She sighed into the phone. "Can you at least wait until we figure out how to get Wyatt's powers back? I want him to be able to protect himself."

"The Hollow took his powers, Pheebs. I don't know if we'll ever be able to get them back."

"There has to be a way."

"If there is, it will be in the Grimoire and not the Book of Shadows. Are you really willing to use black magic again?"

"If it's my only option, I'll do it for my nephew."

"You wouldn't use it for me."

"That was different."

"How?"

"You managed to come back without my help. It wasn't your only option."

"I didn't know that. _You_ didn't know that."

"Cole that was five years ago… Let it go."

"But –"

"Didn't we establish this morning that I still love you?"

"Yes, but that doesn't explain why you didn't want to save me."

"Do we have to get into this over the phone?"

"No, it can wait until you get home."

He hung up on her. She felt the bile rising again. She couldn't be pregnant already, could she? No, of course not. They'd only…

She turned to her trash can just in time. She took a long sip of water, trying to get the foul taste out of her mouth. Tears burned the back of her eyes. Everything was happening too fast, and it was just too much. There was a knock on her door. It was Elise.

"I think you'd better take another week off."

~*~

"You were that excited to come discuss my demise?" Cole smirked, as Phoebe stormed into the manor.

"Elise sent me home," she pouted.

"Acting out again?"

"I threw up."

His demeanor instantly changed. Cole moved over to her and led her to the couch.

"Are you okay?"

Phoebe shook her head as fresh tears sprang from her eyes.

"What is it?" Cole asked gently.

"I'm the only one left."

And with that, she lost it. The tears she'd been suppressing for weeks flooded her eyes as she started bawling. Phoebe fell into Cole's arms and he held her tightly in his embrace. He started rubbing small circles on her back and she clung to him tighter, needing his comfort. For a while, neither of them spoke. Cole threaded his fingers through her hair; loving that is was longer again.

"You're not alone in this you know."

Phoebe nodded against his chest.

"You might be the only woman left in this family right now, but that'll change."

She nodded again, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Marry me?"

"What?" Phoebe asked, looking up into his gorgeous blue eyes.

"Let's get remarried," he rephrased.

She shifted in his embrace, but didn't let go.

"Our daughter is going to need her father…and I need you."

Phoebe kissed him in response.

"Is that a yes?"

She kissed him again before snuggling back into his arms.

"But we still have a lot to talk about," Phoebe whispered.

"It can wait. For now, just let me hold my wife."

The title brought a smile to her lips.

"I'm not you're wife again…yet."

"It's only a matter of time, Pheebs. Only a matter of time."

~*~

"Mommy?"

"No, Wyatt sweetie, it's just me."

"When's she coming home?"

Phoebe ran a hand through his hair, which was so much like his father's.

"She's not."

Wyatt just stared at her.

"Remember we had that funeral for her and your Aunt Paige? They're gone, sweetie, like your dad."

"Gone? Forever?"

Phoebe nodded.

"I thought she come back like before."

She assumed her was referring to when they'd taken on alternate identities last year.

"Not this time, bud. I'm sorry."

Wyatt hugged his teddy bear to his chest.

"I know you miss your parents, but you're not going to be alone. You still have me, your brother, your grandfather, and your uncles. And in a couple of years you'll have some cousins too."

"But I miss them."

"I do too. Listen, I'm pretty much an expert at losing people I love; I've lost a lot of them. I'll help you through this, Wyatt. Me and you, we'll get through this together."

Wyatt dropped his bear and moved to hug her.

"I love you, little guy," she whispered, hugging him back.

"Love you too, Aunt Phoebe."

**AN: Reviews are the key to my heart. :)**


	2. Fourth Birthday

**AN: I apologize that the line breaks in the last chapter got removed. Now all the sections run together and even I find it confusing. If I could fix it, I would, but the document has long since expired and the original is on my home computer which is a good 45 minutes away. So with that, and the fact that I haven't updated anything since August, and this since March, I finally present you with more. I'm so sorry for the delay. Enjoy! **

She didn't remember a lot about being four, but she did remember her 4th birthday. The mother she had barely known was dead and the father she knew even less about had left. Her sisters had actually known their parents and it was back then that she started to resent them for it.

Grams had taken her and her sisters to the beach to celebrate. It was the same beach that Grams had brought them to after their mother's funeral, but back then, Phoebe didn't realize it. She was just happy to spend the day playing in the sand.

She remembered an eight-year-old Prue pouting because she didn't want to be there. She remembered a six-year-old Piper trying to pout like her big sister, but instead ending up playing just like her little sister. But the thing that she remembered most about this birthday was the emptiness she had felt. Despite having Grams and her sisters, she had felt alone. And every birthday after that, the feeling got worse; another year passing without her parents around.

She had eventually learned to cope with it, but with Wyatt's 4th birthday around the corner and his parents gone as well, she feared the empty feeling would return for both of them. And this time, she didn't even have Grams _or_ her sisters. Phoebe was prepared for a breakdown.

(Insert line break here.)

"Cole, can you get that? I'm helping Chris!" Phoebe called, referring to the doorbell, from upstairs where she was attempting to get the stubborn two-year-old into a shirt. "Come on little man. Don't you want to look nice for your big brother's birthday party?"

"No." It was his new favorite word. Chris was slow at starting to talk, like his brother had been, but now that he was finally opening up, he was more defiant than ever.

"But it's red. That's your favorite color isn't it?"

"No."

"Since when?"

"No."

"Christopher, you are not helping." Ever since he had lost his parents, he hadn't been the happy baby boy she remembered him to be. Instead, he found it hilarious to try her patience whenever possible, especially when they were running late like today for instance. Boy, he was going to be a fun teenager… "People are already starting to get here. Please, put the shirt on for me?"

"No." Chris took the shirt out of her hands and through it across the room.

"Need some help?"

"Dad! I would love some help," Phoebe smiled at her father.

"When no one answered the door, I just let myself in. I figured the toddlers had you other wise occupied."

"Cole wasn't downstairs?"

"Didn't see him."

"What about Wyatt?"

"I assumed he was up here."

Phoebe stared at him blankly for a moment, until a realization dawned on her. "Oh no, he did not."

"Everything, okay?"

"It will be. Can you get Chris to put a shirt on?"

Victor noted the red shirt on the floor. "Were you trying to get him to wear that?"

"Yes, and he won't do it."

"Phoebe, he was wearing that shirt the night he learned that Piper wasn't coming back."

"He was?"

Victor nodded and Phoebe ran a hand over her face. "That explains it. Good memory. Then just…let him pick something out. I have to go find Wyatt and Cole."

"You know where they are?"

"Unfortunately. If people start coming for the party, let them in will you?"

"You're leaving?"

"If Cole and Wyatt don't respond to my calls, then yes, I am. I should have them all back by the time the party starts though, don't worry."

"Honey, I'm always worried."

"Dad," Phoebe rolled her eyes and went to kiss him on the cheek. "Just dress your grandson."

Phoebe headed up to the attic and stopped in the doorway. Her dad's mention of Piper had brought back a wave of nostalgia. Today was her son's fourth birthday and neither she nor her husband was here to see it. She shook off the memories and cracked open the yellowing book. The page with the Wendigo stared back at her. That seemed like a million years ago. Back then she had _three_ sisters, even though she didn't know that one of them existed. Now she had none.

Phoebe continued flipping as the bitter memories of each vanquished demon filled her. She stopped when Beltazar's picture caught her eye. _Cole_. That's why she was up here. She had to focus. She had to go find him and yell at him for doing exactly what she had told him not to do.

She found the spell and read it aloud, instantly feeling herself being transported. Life would be so much easier if she could orb or shimmer. But then again, when had her life ever been easy? The smells of the beach instantly greeted her. Her beach. The beach of death. Before her, Cole sat with Wyatt in the sand watching him build a sand castle.

"I specifically told you not to come here."

"Phoebe!" Cole exclaimed looking up.

"What were you thinking bringing him here? His friends will be at the house any minute now!"

"We were going to make it back in time. Besides, he really wanted to come here."

Phoebe just scoffed and looked away as tears started to fill her eyes. She didn't need to be here, especially not today.

"What is your problem?" Cole asked, coming up next to her.

"Grams took us to this beach when my mom died. And she took us here on my fourth birthday. Excuse me for not wanting to relive my past right now."

"I – I'm sorry. I didn't know –"

"Yes you did. Cole look, I know you want to be a good uncle to him, a good _father_ to him, but he already has a dad who loves him very much. Leo isn't dead, he's just frozen. I just can't save him because my sisters aren't here to help me defeat…"

Cole grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her gaze to meet his. "I know this is hard for you, but you have to understand that we're his parents now. Leo's not coming back and neither is Piper. Do we have to adopt them for you to get that?"

"We should go. I'd hate for Wyatt to miss his own birthday party."

(Insert line break here.)

Phoebe found herself in the attic again, this time with no particular purpose. The party guests had all departed and Victor was out cold with the boys. Henry and Cole were talking in the kitchen and she had used the opportunity to sneak upstairs. Phoebe flipped to the "To Call a Lost Witch" spell. She remembered Piper trying every spell in the book to try and bring back Prue. She remembered that none of them worked. But none of that was going to stop her from trying now.

She threw open the trunk in the corner where their ritual items were kept. The rosemary, cypress, and yarrow root were still in there from the last time someone had used this spell. She ground them together while looking for an athame.

"Powers of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near. Come to us and settle here." Phoebe dragged the blade of the athame across her palm, barely noticing the stinging pain as her blood mixed in with the other ingredients. "Blood to blood, I summon thee. Blood to blood, return to me."

The last time she had tried this, right after her sisters died, Grams had appeared before she was even able to cast a spell. And this time, not even _she_ materialized. Phoebe let out a frustrated groan.

"Look, I get that you don't want to send me my sisters right now, even though I think it's time I be allowed to see Prue, but could you at least send me my mother?"

Seconds later, a glitter of white lights appeared in the center of the room. Patty Halliwell stood before her.

"Hi, Mom," Phoebe sighed.

"Phoebe, I –"

She was cut off as her daughter moved to hug her surprisingly corporeal body.

"Oh my sweet girl," Patty breathed into her daughter's hair. "I can only imagine how hard all of this is on you."

"I can't do this anymore, Mom. It's all too much."

"You just have to stay strong…"

"How? How can I stay strong when I've lost my mother, my grandmother, and all three of my sisters?"

"You have to stay strong because your nephews need you to be. You're all they have left too. And you know better than anyone what it's like to lose your parents at that age."

"It's a living hell."

Patty pulled away from Phoebe to look at her.

"When was the last time you got any sleep?"

Phoebe laughed bitterly. "The night before my sisters died."

"Phoebe, it's been months –"

"How are they?"

Patty sighed and led her over to the small couch in the attic. "Paige is doing surprisingly well. She misses you and Henry dearly, but she seems to have come to terms with it. My guess is that it's because since she's a full-time whitelighter now, she's been able to distract herself from the fact that she's really dead."

"And Piper?"

Patty shook her head. "She's done nothing but yell at us to get her back here. She's worse than Prue was when she died."

"Prue wasn't leaving behind two kids."

Cole appeared in the doorway of the attic. "I thought I'd find you up here. Oh, hello Patty."

Patty smiled. "Cole."

"Wyatt's asking for you."

"He is?"

Cole nodded.

"Go," Patty told her.

"But, Mom –"

"Piper thinks you're doing a great job with them. Don't let her down now." And with that she dematerialized and left.

Phoebe buried her head in her hands. Cole placed a hand on her back.

"It'll get easier," Cole whispered.

"When?"

"Now there's the million dollar question."

Phoebe laughed and allowed him to help her up. "Let's go see what Wyatt wants."

Once downstairs, Phoebe knelt in front of her nephew who was sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs in the living room.

"You wanted to see me, bud?"

"Your mommy died when you were three, right?"

Phoebe nodded.

"How did you hold it?"

"Hold it? Oh you mean _handle_ it?"

Wyatt nodded.

"Well, at the time, I didn't fully understand what had happened. My sisters and I didn't know we were witches or have our powers so we weren't quite as smart as you are. I just knew that she was gone. I cried… a lot. Then my dad left and that made things even worse."

"But Grandpa's right here," Wyatt said, gesturing to the sleeping Victor next to him.

"He came back. But he's only been back for about seven years now."

"Does this mean, my daddy will come back?"

"Maybe."

"Phoebe, you can't tell him that," Cole interjected.

"But he might! Maybe by the time Wyatt and his brother and cousins are the ones fighting, they'll defeat whoever it is that's keeping Leo from us. Maybe he'll get Leo back when he's 25. We just don't know."

"Exactly. We don't know, so we shouldn't be promising him anything."

"You should have a little bit more faith, Cole. After all, you were the last person I ever thought I'd be seeing in my living room again. Time is a funny thing. Trust the girl who can see the future: things can change in the blink of an eye."

**AN: Even after all of this time, reviews are still the key to my heart. :)**


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